"Let me add, that it is the great desideratum, by which this form of Government can be rescued from the opprobrium under which it has so long labored, and be recommended to the esteem and adoption of mankind." Federalist 10, James Madison

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Condemned to Republican representation....

With all but 200 votes counted, here is how nearly 40% of Whatcom registered voters cast their ballots for U.S. Senate and Wa Legislative Districts in Whatcom County::

Race

Candidate

Votes

PercentageOfTotalVotes

United States U.S. Senator

Maria Cantwell

24,723

54.973

United States U.S. Senator

Michael Baumgartner

13,296

29.5644

United States U.S. Senator

Art Coday

3,111

6.9175

United States U.S. Senator

Glen (Stocky) R. Stockwell

1,030

2.2903

United States U.S. Senator

Chuck Jackson

886

1.9701

United States U.S. Senator

Timmy (Doc) Wilson

842

1.8722

United States U.S. Senator

Mike the Mover

611

1.3586

United States U.S. Senator

Will Baker

474

1.054

Total

44,973

Legislative District 42 State Representative Pos. 1

Natalie McClendon

13,625

44.111

Legislative District 42 State Representative Pos. 1

Jason Overstreet

17,263

55.889

Total

30,888

Legislative District 42 State Representative Pos. 2

Matthew Krogh

13,626

44.2288

Legislative District 42 State Representative Pos. 2

Vincent Buys

17,182

55.7712

Total

30,808

Legislative District 40 State Representative Pos. 1

Kristine Lytton

9,692

100

Legislative District 40 State Representative Pos. 2

Howard A. Pellett

2,255

20.1663

Legislative District 40 State Representative Pos. 2

Jeff Morris

8,927

79.8337

Total

11,182

Some obvious thoughts:

(1) Populated south Whatcom county (e.g. most of south Bellingham) is now so Democratic the Republicans don't bother to run candidates in the new 40th District.
(2) Overall, Whatcom county leans Democratic as can be evinced by Maria Cantwell's primary victory of nearly 55%.
(3) Krogh and McClendon will need a voter registration and voter turnout miracle to beat Overstreet or Buys in the 42nd.

Redistricting has nearly guaranteed legislative votes that cancel out each other in the Fourth Corner. The gerry-mandering seeds almost the entirety of Whatcom County's geographical presence to the Republicans, links the 40th Orcas Island liberals with South Bellingham of the same and cuts off working class North Bellingham from Democratic support:

And that's probably not going to change much in November unless Matt and Natalie can galvanize farm workers, WCC students and core Democratic neighborhoods like the Lettered Streets, Cornwall, Birchwood, and Columbia in Bellingham. Unless they can find a way to transplant some of the 16,000 returning WWU students to 42nd district address....I don't see much Democratic legislative representation for those of us who live in neighborhoods north of downtown in Bellingham. Here is about as clear a picture as I can screenshot tonight of those Bellingham neighborhoods north of downtown now condemned eternally to Republican legislative representation: